Best Chartplotter?

[ktm509]

I am new to the forum because I just purchased an 01' 560 sedan bridge and took her out for the first time this past weekend. She runs and handles beautifully. The boat has a furuno chart plotter (takes forever to boot up) and since the boat is from Florida it does not have any charts for the Ms. gulf coast. I know I can get a cd and update it but I would like to see the cost of buying another gps/chartplotter. Any suggestions? What is the best bang for the buck? I did use the search tool as well just would like to get more information.
Thanks!

 

[Mike Blake]

I like Raymarine stuff, but that's just me.

 

[Kreole Kid]

Raymarine seems to be the general consensus, BUT, Garmin has REALLY nice stuff out too, just saying. I wish I were in a position to upgrade, but everything on mine IS Raymarine...

 

[BritLady]

Raymarine here too

 

[Sea Gull]

Check out the new Furuno touch screen system. It's wicked cool.

 

[mainstream]

I would have to say Raymarine the new hybrid touch screen is awesome and can be retro fitted into any size previous version cut out with it's bezel adapter means no new panel to cut Just my $.02

 

[Gofirstclass]

Raymarine

 

[Havana Shamrock]

Garmin is very user friendly, but our new ( to us) boat has an e120 raymarine , I want to pair it with the new raymarine e9 touchscreen ,so I guess I have a Garmin 4208 to sell. ( great machine too!)

 

[cod]

Raymarine....more user friendly than Garmin and nicer graphics than both Garmin and Furuno IMO

 

[RollerCoastr]

Raymarine....more user friendly than Garmin and nicer graphics than both Garmin and Furuno IMO

I guess it's a matter of preference, but I wouldn't alter the UI on any Garmin I've ever used, while I've wanted to redesign nearly every function of Raymarine's stuff.

I will say that while I think my 12" Garmin touch-screen blows-away the old E-120's, the new Hybrid-touch E-Series are very impressive.

 

[floriduramax1]

Raymarine....more user friendly than Garmin and nicer graphics than both Garmin and Furuno IMO

The new Garmin stuff is pretty nice. I have had/tried most of them. The worst was my Raymarine E80! It really comes down to how much you want to spend. For example, the 740s with all the bells and whistles I bought from Jim is very easy to use and works quite well. And the massive Furuno network we just bought from Jim for the big boat is over the top!

 

[kkalsch]

The new Garmin stuff is pretty nice. For example, the 740s with all the bells and whistles I bought from Jim is very easy to use and works quite well.

+1 on the Garmin..... I have 740s combo as well and you get a lot for the money -very very user friendly

 

[Alex F]

I had the opportunity to witness operation of FURUNO of the same age as yours. All I will say that I wouldn't spend a dime on getting a card for it.

I've used Raymarine for good number of years now and when it came to add 2nd unit to my 420DB I went with another Raymarine unit (E120). Besides all the fancy shmancy stuff you get from the new touch screen models the Classic C and E series are very user friendly. All menu options and navigation features are self explanatory without the manual.

Since you now have older Furuno package this would mean that you'll have to pretty much redesign your whole system, which includes the new radar. I would take my time and come up with what you'd like to see as the end result (the complete system with redundancy and failover) and then compare the packages between Raymarine, Garmin and I guess Furuno as well. You need to touch every one of these systems and get the feel for them. Besides the technical side the personal feel makes a big difference as well.

If I was to install brand new system I would go with HD. I'm not a big fan of touch screen units unless they have regular soft keys as an alternative. This is simply due to the fact that it's not easy to use touch screen while you're in some rougher than normal seas. So, when having a bumpy ride, the last thing you need is having aggravation with your new and expensive nav. system b/c your fingers are jumping all over the screen and messing things up.

BTW, when I talk about redesign your system I mean getting down all the components on paper and see the complete system where everything is capable to interact and all components are talking to each other on the desired network. Here's a sample of the diagram I had to make to get better understanding of my current system before I added new components:

 

[ktm509]

I really appreciate all the input from all of you. I am definitely going to go with a Raymarine gps. Does this mean I should get a new antenna as well? What do you recommend me doing?
Thanks once again for all the help!

 

[cod]

Smart choice......... And yes , I would suggest replacing the GPS receiver. If you are having a professional do the installation I would suggest reviewing with them what features you would like to integrate. I would also go to the Raymarine website and read up on the different units that are available.

 

[Alex F]

I really appreciate all the input from all of you. I am definitely going to go with a Raymarine gps. Does this mean I should get a new antenna as well? What do you recommend me doing?
Thanks once again for all the help!

Unfortunately, GPS antenna is only a small part of the system that will have to be replaced (if it's not compatible with whatever your new system will be). You need to look at all existing components like Autopilot, Tridata, Transducer module and even VHF. Whatever is not compatible with your new system it will either needs to be replaced or it won't be able to integrate with the core system. I'd say that if you'll be investing so much and rebuilding the entire navigation network you want everything to mach/integrate and work perfectly.
If you don't have enough experience it'll be best to consult professionals to help you come up with the best system for your needs and of course do the installation.